RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Medicaid managed care has finally been extended to Medicaid enrollees who also need services for behavioral health or intellectual or developmental disabilities.“This is another critical milestone in our work to build a stronger, more outcomes-oriented and accessible behavioral health system for North Carolina,” state health Secretary Kody Kinsley said in a recent news release.
Under the initiative, enrollees were formally told in the spring that starting July 1 their care would be handled through one of four companies based on geographic areas. While patients will continue to receive their array of services related to their disabilities or mental health needs, they’ll also now use primary care physicians, doctors and specialists within their plan’s network.
Enrollees who otherwise qualify for tailored plans but opt out may miss out on services that other Medicaid managed care plans don’t provide, according to a DHHS presentation. Medicaid managed care in North Carolina began with a 2015 state law laying the groundwork, followed by extensive preparations — and delays. Managed care has been portrayed as improving health outcomes and controlling costs.